Customer Reviews

The Book of Alien

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Paul Scanlon and Michael Gross (Burt Gummer!?!) offer very litte text about the actual making of the movie. There is a token segment about the genesis of the script but the rest of the book is focused strictly on the visual aspects. No comments from cast, production crew, or composer Jerry Goldsmith are offered. Those (like me) expecting an in depth look at the making of a genre milestone will be a tad disappointed. Nonetheless, the countless conceptual drawings (both for used and unused concepts) from the pre-production of the motion picture and the generous amounts of stills will get the mouth of any Alien fan watering. An essential for the drawings and stills, but the text is strictly behind the scenes filler that is lacking both depth and insight.

If this book was written today, it would be one of those "The Art Of...." books. It is full of conceptional drawings and art for the movie, from the space suits, equipment, spaceships, interiors of both the Nostromo and the Alien ship, and much more. There are a lot of color pictures as well, of the many sets used. This book gives you a good idea of how the initial concepts formed and morphed into the classic film we know today. Great names in art are represented here, from FOSS, to MOEBIUS, GIGER, to Ron COBB. Some of their art work here I have never seen anywhere else. If you are into scifi-art, you will really appreciate this book beyond just the movie tie-in.

To all the film buffs, as you good people are aware this book dealt with the how and why the film,ALIEN, was filmed,i just wish that i had bought this, book in 1979 when this film was first shown.Overall a nice piece of history of horror set in space.This book is quite rare and is hard to find....please bring it back.............